


How Not to Get Back to Earth-16

by MissDaVinci



Category: Multi-Fandom
Genre: Dimension Travel, Post-Justice League (2017), Young Justice - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:40:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23371828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissDaVinci/pseuds/MissDaVinci
Summary: Superboy no longer belongs to CADMUS Labs. He's free to make his own choices, live his own life, have his own family. The Young Justice team he considers his family, but he still feels lonely and lost. Sometimes he feels like he doesn't belong in Mount Justice.Little does he know, he's about to really know what that isolation feels like... and learn how to overcome it. (Disclaimer: I don't own YJ or affiliate with it.)
Kudos: 6





	1. Introduction

Happy Harbor, Connecticut. Mount Justice:

The Young Justice team is in the middle of a partner training session. At the moment, Robin and Aqualad are facing off against the team's trainer, Black Canary. Artemis, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, and Superboy line the border of the lighted platform. They're watching as their two leaders hold their own against one of their mentors. Everyone on this team has their partners -- some their family members -- as role models. She is Superboy's only mentor. He's grateful for someone to teach him how to fight, but he doesn't have anyone to help him with his powers. Superman was supposed to, but Superboy has given up on him by this point.  
When Robin, Aqualad, and Kid Flash rescued him from CADMUS, he thought he could finally have a normal life. He had a second chance. Instead, Superboy was disappointed and confronted with the fact that he was still just a clone, a weapon. He wants to prove that his purpose is no longer to kill and replace Superman. No matter what he did, though, Superman either avoided him or looked at him like he shouldn't have been there. Superboy was sad and angry at first, but now he's just accepted the depressing situation. At least he has his team to call a family, no matter how strange.  
In the present, Superboy is silently watching the sparring match, mentally rooting for his friends to win. He knows Black Canary will most likely still win, but he can always hope. His hopes lose as the woman throws Aqualad and Robin from the platform in succession, an out-of-bounds defeat.  
The two boys groan in disappointment and slight pain. Kid Flash hands Artemis ten dollars as a part of their bet held before the match began. Superboy notices that they've been doing that ever since they met each other, always trying to outdo one another. He doesn't know whether to be intrigued or concerned.  
Superboy's attention goes back to the center of the grid, where Black Canary is giving them her feedback.  
"Not bad, you're both improving. Robin, you're putting too much focus into head-on attacks. Don't forget to go on the defensive. Aqualad, don't be afraid of close encounters or using your strength to the max. Your enemies won't go easy on you as I do." She finishes.  
"That was going easy?" Robin asks the smart-alec he is. Black Canary smirks. The other can't tell if she's playing along with the joke or being creepy.  
Whatever was going to happen next is lost as a call comes in from Batman. Everyone listens as he speaks, expecting a new mission from the Dark Knight.  
"There's an emergency at one of LexCorp's satellite labs. One of their experimental devices is causing chaos in the downtown Metropolis Area. There's no time to explain everything. Just get here and help control the situation outside. Make sure no one gets killed." The transmission cuts off in a burst of static. From the background noise on the other side, Batman's right. It doesn't sound good. What he was going to say after that isn't essential. The Young Justice team knows what to do by now.  
Black Canary sets the coordinates that the transmission came from for the Zeta tube as the young heroes run toward it. They waste no time. In a flash of light, they're on their way to whatever warzone Metropolis has become this time.


	2. Chapter 1

On the scene, LexCorp and the surrounding blocks are in an uproar. Civilians are running in every which direction. Buildings are becoming unstable, pieces of them falling. The people flee to avoid injury, some unsuccessfully. The roads and sidewalks are cracking and splitting in some places as the ground quakes.  
By the time the Young Justice team arrives, the founding Justice League members are inside trying to shut down the machine. A few other members are outside protecting the populous, guiding them in the direction of the nearest shelter.  
Quickly assessing the situation, Aqualad turns to his teammates and gives them the battle plan.  
"Robin, Kid Flash, and Artemis help evacuate the remaining people in affected buildings. Superboy and Miss Martian, help me with the outside. Leading people away from danger is the number one priority. Go!" Said groups split up and sprint into action.  
Robin's team starts at the closest business, going floor by floor, and rescuing people pinned under rubble or trapped in confined spaces. When they finished with one, they moved on to the next: apartments, restaurants, even a couple of law firms. Robin and Artemis use their quick thinking and many tools in their arsenals. Kid Flash's speed lets him quickly get him and others out of danger in seconds.  
Meanwhile, Aqualad's team is playing by sight. They're letting the people know the best direction to run and keeping them from harm by catching falling debris. Miss Martian uses her enhanced alien mind to feel who's in danger and prevent it without lifting a finger. Aqualad's magic water gauntlets aid him in demolishing anything in his way. Superboy's strength has almost no boundaries as he smashes cement and catches metal as they fall.  
No matter their abilities, protecting the people is paramount.  
After a seemingly endless amount of time, the last of the civilians make it out of the disaster zone. Without any other orders from Batman, the team is at a loss for what to do now.  
That doesn't mean the fight is over. There's still the source of the anarchy.  
Superboy knows this.  
"We should go inside." He says to the others. Aqualad is the first to respond.  
"No, we shouldn't. We do not know what's going on in there. Batman only said for us to help with the situation on the outside."  
"But, he never said we couldn't go inside after we were done out here." Kid Flash adds.  
"I hate to say it, Baywatch... but you've got a point." Artemis agrees.  
"I don't know, guys. If the Justice League needed our help, they would've asked for it, right?" M'Gann says.  
"When have they ever done that?" Superboy comes back, the question being rhetorical as he dashes toward the LexCorp lab anyway. The rest of the team lingering behind for a moment before quickly following him. They can't say they didn't expect this. The hot-headed super-teen is notorious for running head-on into danger, being reckless. This time is no different.

On the inside, the Justice League barely has a handle on controlling the experiment. Batman is at the main controls trying to figure out how to shut it down from there. Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter are trying to do damage control, stop any more things from being damaged. They need to salvage as much as possible so they can know what it is and what it does besides carnage. Flash, unfortunately, is behind Batman and unconscious. Superman is trying to help Wonder Woman and J'onn, but the machine uses Kryptonite as a stabilizing agent for the portal in the center of the room. The rock reduces his strength and his other powers don't work.  
Superboy runs into the room, the rest of the Young Justice team behind him soon after. Superman is the first to see them, his eyes widen.  
"What are you all doing here?!" His booming voice catches the attention of Wonder Woman.  
"You all need to leave now!" She shouts.  
"No! We can help you! Just tell us what to do!" Superboy shouts back. Before the older heroes can say anything more, an alarm starts blaring. A red light flashed in synchronization with the tone. Everyone turns to Batman.  
"Batman, what's happening?!" J'onn asks with urgency.  
"The machine's generators are overloading! We only have a few minutes before it implodes and collapses the building on us!" Batman answers, setting the time limit.  
The machine releases a small shockwave, knocking everyone back into the far wall. Some are unable to get back up. Superboy is the first as he realizes the only course of action to save everyone in this room.  
Destroy the machine.  
First, he goes slowly to the main terminal. Superboy's body is starting to feel the effect of Kryptonite exposure, as he feels weaker by the second. He gets to the controls, raises his arms, then smashes them to the floor. The machine stutters but shows no real sign of stopping. Superboy shifts his gaze to the metal arch in the center of the room. It's emitting strange energy, both from the Kryptonite and something else he can't identify. He doesn't care at the moment.  
Superboy sees a closed panel on the right side of the arch that looks important. He rips it open and starts yanking out wires.  
Superman sits up, momentarily disoriented, and sees Superboy in the middle of his task.  
"Superboy! Get out of there!" He shouts, knowing how dangerous it is to be so near it when there's a risk of severe injury or death. The boy hears the yell, but he doesn't listen.  
With a final tear, most of the components are out on the floor. The machine seems to power down slowly.  
It has one last surprise in store.  
A bright light starts coming from the center of the arch. Superboy puts an arm over his eyes to shield them from the intensity. Loud whirring comes from all around.  
Maybe demolishing this thing wasn't an excellent idea.  
Superboy turns to get away before it does something. He tries too late.  
The whirring gets louder and higher until it's like a dog whistle; everyone covers their ears. The light engulfs everyone and everything. The last thing heard is Superboy's scream before a deafening *BOOM*.  
Then it's just black.

Wonder Woman rouses from unconsciousness to a dark room. She faces the rest of her comrades and the younger heroes. Her short-term memory takes a few seconds to catch up with her, and her eyes widen.  
The machine! What happened to it, and how are they all still okay?  
Everyone else is starting to wake up, so she looks around the place. There's no hope of reactivating this thing, that's good, but the amount of damage makes it more difficult to analyze it. Bruce will come through in that department; he always does.  
As she takes it all in, Diana can't help but feel like something is off. Something's missing.  
...Or someone.  
She looks at everyone behind her. Batman, Superman, Flash, J'onn, Kaldur, Artemis, Wally, M'gann, Robin.

Where's Superboy?


	3. Chapter 2

_Gotham City, New York. Gotham Harbor:_

It's a surprisingly peaceful night in one of the most dangerous cities in the nation, Gotham. Gentle waves roll into the walls and poles of the artificial wharf. Lights from the city are shining on the horizon. Dockworkers are loading and unloading massive shipping containers from and onto cargo ships.  
As anyone knows, in Gotham, a night like this is too good to last very long.  
A bright blue-ish light suddenly appears, drawing the attention of all men in the vicinity and blinding many close enough. A few seconds roll by and it only gets brighter. The dockworkers decide that potentially being blown up is not worth the $15.47 hourly pay rate. All of the men got out of the forklifts, abandoned the ships, and ran from the machines' main control stations to make a break for the exit. The light slowly becomes brighter until it envelopes half of the docks of Gotham Harbor. It then implodes, funneling its passenger down to the ground.  
The night is dark once more, and the city now has one more occupant.  
Laying on the asphalt in the middle of random machine parts and glass is the half-Kryptonian hero himself.

  
Superboy.

  
Not only is he misplaced in the multiverse as of now, but he is also injured from the previous fight. As he regains consciousness, he feels the extent of his injuries and extremely weak, too weak to get up.  
 _'What happened? When did it get dark?'_ Was his first thought when opening his eyes. The next one was expletives he overheard Artemis mumbling after her and Wally's arguments. He hasn't experienced pain like this since... CADMUS.  
Superboy would rather not be reminded of that period in his life.  
Focusing on the present, he needed to find out where the heck he ended up. Superboy is sure that before his lights went out, he was with his team and the Justice League trying to shut down Luthor's crazy machine.  
Maybe he shouldn't have ripped up those circuits and wires. What's done is done, though, and all he can do is get home ASAP.  
Superboy tries to sit up from his supine position on the ground but is stopped by a wave of dizziness and extreme fatigue. He doesn't understand why. Did he get hurt that bad?  
He turns his head to look at his surroundings as best as he can. To his right is just mangled machine parts and glass. To his left is more of that, and a sizable chunk of glowing green rock. That is what's spelling trouble for Superboy. He has seen this stuff in the past, just never knew what it was and he still doesn't have a clue. All he knows is that it weakens him, and causes him pain if close enough. This means with his injuries, if Superboy lays here too long, he will eventually die.  
He can't let that happen.  
The young hero puts nearly all of his strength into getting himself onto his elbows to lay on his side. The effort makes pain radiate from his gut. Superboy grunts, holding in the pain he's feeling, as he looks down at what is causing it. There's a decent-sized piece of shrapnel sticking out of his stomach, slowly oozing blood. Superboy is in deep trouble. He has no first-aid supplies, his teammates are gone, and if he's found here then there's no telling what he'll be subjected to.  
Speaking of being found, Superboy hears jet engines approaching from the west. He turns over onto his back again to see what's coming. It's certainly no civilian aircraft, but it doesn't look like military either. He will never admit it; this makes him afraid.  
The ship lands about fifty yards away from Superboy. He tries to scoot away from it but also moves closer to the Kryptonite. He's stuck between a rock and a hard place. All he can do is sit there and hope that whoever is in that ship belongs to the good side.  
As the engines slow to a halt, the hatch ramp lowers and five figures exit the aircraft. Superboy can see them approaching and he has a gut feeling that they're familiar. Unfortunately, his vision was blurring, so he can't distinguish who exactly is walking in his direction. The closer they get, the more nervous Superboy becomes. At least, until he hears a voice.  
"Superman, stay back until we can contain the Kryptonite!" It was a man's voice that Superboy swears he's heard before, or at least something similar.

  
Wait... _"Superman"_?

The Justice League found Superboy pretty fast. He should be relieved (along with irritated), but something is still off. That gravelly voice talking to his genetic donor sounded like Batman. His voice didn't sound exactly the same, though.  
Speaking of the dark knight, he appears in Superboy's line of sight, kneeling beside the young hero to assess the situation. Now that he can see the older hero, Superboy knows this isn't the Batman he knows. The costume is wrong. This Batman's suit is slightly bulkier, making the man look stocky. The cowl is thicker, too. The only thing about this man that is _'Batman'_ is his eyes. Their arctic blue shade is an exact match. As Superboy is observing the doppelganger, the Bat says something to another of his teammates.  
"Cyborg, get that Kryptonite contained in a lead capsule. I need to get this bleeding under control. Flash, get me the--" Before Batman can finish his sentence, said speedster is to the jet and back with the telltale red pack.  
"--first aid kit?" Flash finishes the dark knight's order, setting the kit on the ground. Batman immediately opens it and sifts around to find some gauze.  
As that's going on, Cyborg is coming back from the jet with a lead capsule for the green rock. He passes Superman, who is staring at the young man laying on the blacktop. He's panting harshly as he loses blood, becoming paler by the second. He looks to be in his mid-teens despite his muscular stature.

Just a kid.  
A kid who looks... strangely familiar.

Superman is not the only one that thinks this. Batman sees the resemblance, and Cyborg's scanners pick up certain traits, too.  
Now's not the time to dwell on that, though. Batman rips open a package of thick gauze and presses it on either side of the shrapnel. Superboy lets out a shout of pain, trying to move and get away from the cause of his pain. Another pair of hands hold him down by the shoulders to prevent that. They are strong, gentle, but his left shoulder feels like it's burning. At this point, blood loss, Kryptonite exposure, and pain is getting to Superboy. He goes lax and his head lulls to the side, passing out cold.  
"Hey. Hey! Kid?!" Batman tries to rouse the teenager, with no such luck.  
Meanwhile, Cyborg crouches over the Kryptonite chunk and scoops it into the lead container. As soon as the green glow disappears, Superman walks toward his comrades tending to the boy. The closer he gets, the more he realizes why he's so familiar.  
It's like looking at a version of his younger self. This is unreal. The Superman T-shirt the kid is wearing only makes the situation more strange. Where did he come from? What's his name? Clark believes he's the only Kryptonian left alive on Earth, but is he really? Is this boy like him?  
So many questions that need answers, but now isn't the time. Batman gets the man of steel's attention.  
"Superman, get him into the Batwing. We need to get him to the Batcave, Alfred can do something for him there." Superman doesn't need to be asked twice. He kneels next to the boy as Diana and Bruce make their way to the jet. Superman lifts the unconscious Superboy in a one-person lift, arms around the back and under the knees. Cyborg follows both of them, lead capsule in hand, while Flash is already waiting in the cockpit.  
A stretcher is waiting for Superboy when Superman carries him onto the jet. He sets the boy down carefully, trying not to dislodge the bandaging. He's already lost enough blood as it is.  
Cyborg straps the boy down as Batman prepares the plane for takeoff. Both men along with Diana stay in the cargo hold. As the hatch door closes, they slowly lift off the ground. The engines kick in full force and they're off to Wayne Manor. With the speed of the Batwing, they'll be there in five minutes, tops.  
Now that the boy is no longer in certain peril, Superman takes the opportunity to do a more in-depth examination, via x-ray vision. Arms and legs reveal nothing other than multiple contusions and minor lacerations. The left shoulder is dislocated, which would explain his wince when Diana had to hold him down. His head is fine, but about four of his ribs are cracked.  
The real trouble is where the shrapnel is buried in his gut. It's at an upward angle and is digging into the boy's liver. That's not good.  
"Tell Batman to tell Alfred to prepare for surgery. The metal pierced his liver and he has severe internal bleeding." Superman tells Cyborg. Said humanoid nods and briskly walks to the steps leading to the cockpit. As he leaves, Diana turns to Clark with worry marring her usually firm facade.  
"It is bad, isn't it?" Superman looks at her with a mirrored expression, no need for a verbal answer. "Do you think he will be alright?" She places her hand on Superboy's creased brow. Superman flips his view to one of determination.  
"He's in good hands. And..." He looks down at the spitting image of himself.  
"...I've got a feeling he's a survivor."

If only Superman really knew.


	4. Chapter 3

_ Wayne Manor, Batcave: _

Superboy is lying on a gurney in the medical area of the Batcave, now being taken care of by Alfred. Said butler has an unknown tool inside of Superboy's abdomen, through the laceration, trying to repair the damaged liver. He is using a special dissolvable glue compound created by Batman for just such emergencies. Thankfully, the boy hasn't shown any signs of waking up.  
Alfred removes the tool from Superboy's abdomen, the hole in his liver no longer oozing blood. He then applies the same technique to the outer laceration, covering that with a bandage. His chest would need to be wrapped later because of the broken ribs, but there were more pressing matters to deal with.  
"He's going to need a transfusion. His blood volume is very low and he's dangerously close to going into hypovolemic shock." Alfred states to the league members outside of the separation curtain. He turns to Batman, with the cowl off. "Have you finished analyzing his blood sample?" Bruce walks over to the medical bay's computer and pulls up the results of Superboy's blood analysis.  
"No, Alfred. So far, his blood is like nothing I've ever seen. It's an amalgamation of human and alien DNA. I'm running a DNA comparison to see if we can get at least a partial match for a transfusion." Bruce says. Alfred goes back behind the curtain. He grabs an intravenous line kit to start up on the teen. Fluids are a must at this point. Until they can get the blood he needs, a saline drip will help stabilize his blood pressure.  
Alfred takes the tubes, needle, and pouch out of the plastic. The pouch goes on the IV pole and the spike at one end of the tube goes into the pouch's port. Next, Alfred takes an alcohol pad and wipes the crook of the boy's arm. With his experience, it takes him almost no time to spot the vein. Lastly, the needle is unpackaged and Alfred puts it up to the spot he sanitized.  
As this is happening, the Batcomputer dings with the complete results of the blood analysis. Bruce opens the full page and... he could say this was unexpected, but the boy looked too much like a certain hero that it really wasn't.  
This kid shares at least fifty percent of his DNA with Superman. This is a mystery to all members of the league looking at the results, especially the blue boy scout himself. At no point in time did he have relations with a woman before Lois Lane came into the picture. He was more preoccupied with his journey of self-discovery and before that his education and family issues.

How?

"Master Bruce." Alfred beckons as he comes out from behind the curtain. Bruce turns around to face the butler.  
"We were just looking at the results of the blood analysis, Alfred." He says. Alfred looks at the computer before sighing.  
"Well, that certainly explains this." He holds out his hand to let the heroes see something. It's the IV needle, but it's broken in half. "I was trying to start an intravenous line but the needle would not penetrate his skin." This occurrence only solidified the truth. The same questions from before are still at the forefront of their minds, but now there are many more that need answering.

Meanwhile, Superboy is beginning to regain consciousness, and he doesn't feel good at all.  
His eyes crack open to bright LED lights. Screwing his eyes shut for a moment, he slowly opens them again. Superboy doesn't know where he is. There's no deja-vu like he had earlier. He tries to sit up to find out where they've taken him, but pain across his chest and in his left shoulder stops him. He barely restrains a grunt; however, he knows a certain someone still heard it.  
The second thing he realizes is that he doesn't have his shirt on. Superboy sees a lot of black and blue and the white of a bandage almost in the middle. His ribs and the site under that bandage are very angry. It's not just that, though. Superboy can tell there is something very wrong with his shoulder. Besides the pain, it's sitting much lower than normal and there are pins and needles dancing from his upper arm to his fingers.  
The curtain parts to his right and reveals the Justice League, or their doppelgangers at least. Superboy schools his face as to not portray any trace of fear. On the outside, it just looks like he's angry. The people in front of him seem to be doing the same thing, only their expressions are unreadable. An old man is the last to enter and the only one to fully approach Superboy. He begins prodding at the boy's injured shoulder. The firm pressure is unpleasant, like an ache that won't go away, but is only enough to make him wince.  
Superboy is surprised that Batman hasn't tried to question him yet. That would probably be either Superman's or the old man's influence. He doesn't know who the non-hero is, but there's no doubt that Superman's moral compass could have had some influence on the situation.  
The unknown man turns to Superman.  
"You said his shoulder is dislocated?" He asks. Superman nods in confirmation. With that, Superboy's arm is manipulated upward. It feels like lightning is shooting from his shoulder all the way to the tips of his fingers. Superboy winces heavily but manages to refrain from making any audible sounds of discomfort.  
When examining the underside of the joint (the armpit), Alfred immediately notices something wrong. There's a bulge in the crevice's center where it should be smooth.  
That's not good. With this form of dislocation, the arm will need to be pulled upward for the joint to pop back into place. It'll be one painful ride, one Alfred is ill-equipped to handle. This boy is at least half Kryptonian; his body structure is very dense and has a lot of tensile strength. Someone will need to hold him still while another works with the shoulder, both have to be VERY strong.  
Luckily, there is a superhuman and a demi-goddess that fit the job description.  
"Would you three meet me outside for a moment?" Alfred gives no explanation as to his motives, just points at Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman. All three heroes glance at each other, then follow Alfred behind the curtain, but not before Bruce says something to Cyborg and Flash.  
"Watch him." Those two simple words hold a double meaning. It's either 'watch _over_ him' or 'make sure he doesn't do anything suspicious.' Previous assumptions about Batman still standing, Superboy is inclined to believe the latter.

Outside the curtain, Alfred is telling the three leaguers what needs to be done.  
"That shoulder of his needs to be put back into its socket, but there's a problem. It's dislocated in such a way that the end of the humerus is detached from the supraspinatus and is in front of the scapula." As Alfred's explaining, Diana has a question.  
"How was he not in agony?" Being a warrior, Diana is familiar with a number of injuries. One such as this is not a joke and is especially painful when disturbed.  
"It's highly probable that the bone is pushing on the bundle of nerves running through the shoulder. He would be in a lot more pain if not." Alfred explains.  
"How can you tell the extent?" Bruce asks next.  
"When I raised the arm the joint was loose but also tense when the humerus angled further down. I am surprised that his biceps' tendon is still attached considering the strain."  
"How do we fix it?" Superman asks, completing the trifecta.  
"Under normal circumstances, I would pull the arm up and pop it back into the socket. Here, I do not have the strength to pull the joint back where it belongs. One person would need to restrain him while the other fixes the boy's shoulder. I believe you two are the best candidates in that respect." Alfred finishes by pointing at Wonder Woman and Superman. Both are apprehensive about being put on the spot like this, but they understand the situation.  
"Considering my experience, I should fix the boy's shoulder." Superman agrees with Wonder Woman.  
"I'll hold him still." With that, the four go back where Superboy is glaring at Cyborg and Flash. The Flash looks slightly afraid while Cyborg, on the surface, is unphased. Batman moves to stand near them while the three others surround the bed.  
Superboy heard what was said behind the curtain, of course. He understands that his shoulder is messed up, he's not an idiot. Superboy just doesn't trust these people.  
"Alright, young man. If you would, please move forward a little." Alfred says, nudging the boy forward. Even though the man was being polite, Superboy doesn't feel like cooperating. His butt stays planted right where it is, giving Alfred a look of defiance and moving his arm away from the nudge. The old man sighs, used to years of that same look from Bruce when patching him up after his nightly escapades. He crosses his arms. "We need to put that shoulder of your back in its proper place, or else you'll be in even more pain in the future. Dislocated limbs are not something you can just leave be. Understand?" Alfred finishes admonishing Superboy.  
The superpowered teen knows the man is right. It's difficult for him to let go of his stubbornness and pride, but he'll have to if he doesn't want to suffer lifelong repercussions.  
Superboy frowns and, with Alfred's help, painfully scoots forward to the right edge of the bed. Superman and Wonder Woman take this as their cue to get to work.  
Wonder Woman gets on the bed and positions herself to Superboy's left, behind the bad arm. Superman sits on the boy's right and envelopes him in an awkward, and very tight, side-hug to keep him in place. Superboy himself is not comfortable with this one bit, but he doesn't have any other _logical_ choice. So, he withstands the man-handling from the two superheroes.  
Diana firmly grips the misplaced limb at a ninety-degree angle and begins slowly raising it, trying to aggravate it as little as possible.  
To Superboy, it didn't feel this way.  
What he's feeling as Wonder Woman pulls the arm upward is almost dizzying. The pins and needles feeling intensifies, pulsating from the tips of his fingers to his collarbone in sync with his heartbeat. At the same time, the pain from the torn tendon feels like fire going from his clavicle up his neck. Superboy takes deep breaths through his nose to stay calm, which only makes his chest hurt more. No matter what he does he's in pain and it's getting to him.  
"He's tensing. I cannot continue until he relaxes." He hears Wonder Woman say, not realizing he had screwed his eyes shut at some point. And what's this about him tensing up? He's about to be in even more pain than he already is. How can he NOT tense up?  
Superboy feels another hand grip his right bicep, firm enough to get his attention.  
"Hey, you need to calm down. You're scared and you have every right to be.--"  
"You don't know me!" Superboy growls, interrupting Superman, who is honestly surprised at this. No one has ever talked to him this way, other than Batman and sometimes Lois. He understands and takes it in stride as he tries to calm the kid.  
"You're right, I don't. That doesn't mean you shouldn't at least listen to us. You want this to be over? You need to let go. Please, trust us for the moment." He finishes. Superboy knows this is not the same Superman he has come to know, but he can't help but draw parallels between the two. This is one of those situations Robin talks about; mind over matter.  
Just this once, he'll trust them. Next time, they'll have to earn it.  
Superboy takes some deep breaths, closing his eyes to block out any outside distractions. Slowly, but surely, his arm begins to relax while also clenching his good fist. Superman's grip on the boy's arm doesn't lessen, and somehow Superboy is grateful for it.  
Wonder Woman feels the arm muscles relaxing and begins manipulating the arm once more. She starts slowly pulling it upward and twisting his elbow in the same direction.  
The feeling from before intensifies and Superboy clenches his hand even more. His fingernails are digging into his palm so hard that he's beginning to break the skin. To make things worse, a new level of pain washes over him. Something between fire and lightning going up and down his arm. It has him seeing spots and his head feeling pumped full of air.  
From Superman's perspective, the boy's gone pale and sweaty, and his eyes are glazed over. He looks like he's about to either pass out or toss his lunch; maybe both. Superman has to hold him steady so Diana doesn't lose her progress. From what he sees, the joint is no longer pressing on his arm's nerves. That means he now feels everything that's happening to it.  
"His hand is bleeding." Diana points out. Clark looks down and she's right; there's blood dripping from between the boy's fingers. He doesn't think, just tries to pry the hand open to stop Superboy from hurting himself more. What he doesn't expect is for the bleeding appendage to latch onto his hand, the grip almost matching his own strength.  
This realization makes the situation very much **real** for Superman. This kid shares his DNA. For all he knows, he could have a brother... or even a son. Maybe once this is over, the kid can explain where he came from and shed some light on the situation.  
For now, Superman lets Superboy squeeze his hand all he needs to.  
Finally, there's a VERY audible...

**_*POP*_ **

" _AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!_ "

Superboy screams like he never has, eventually closing his mouth to stifle it. He then pants, still disoriented but relieved that his arm is where it's supposed to be. With that relief also comes a new sensation.  
Alfred comes back in with a broad arm sling for Superboy. He undoes the velcro strap so he can put the arm into the pouch. But, when an attempt is made, the boy is not ready.  
"Mm-mn," He says 'no' while keeping his mouth shut. Saliva is beginning to pool in his mouth. His stomach feels like it wants to cave in on itself. He doesn't know what's happening.  
Superman manages to get his hand free, now splotched with blood. The boy is still pale, sweaty, and looks quite uncomfortable.  
"What's wrong?" He asks. Superboy swallows to get rid of some of the salivae so he can answer.  
"I don't feel right." That's all he can say before closing his mouth again, now swallowing convulsively. Alfred picks up on this and quickly grabs a small bucket from next to the gurney. By this time, Diana is away from the scene and talking amongst the other leaguers. So, Superman takes the bucket from Alfred and holds it under Superboy's head. The young man acknowledges it but still wants to retain some semblance of his dignity. He continues to hold down what he had for lunch before he came here, despite nausea getting worse by the second, making him tremble from the effort. His breaths are coming in faster.  
With one heave from his stomach muscles, everything from a few hours ago is coming back up. Half-digested spaghetti and some liquified cereal spew out and into the wastebin. A hand places itself on his back, but Superboy doesn't pay attention to that.  
The pain in his chest, his shoulder, his stomach rebelling against him, and the raw fear at the forefront of his mind. All of this together is very sobering.

Never has Superboy felt so _human_.


End file.
